Mental health and well-being of unaccompanied girls

Abebe, Lien, and Hjelde (2014) conclude that gender is a well-established predictor of mental health problems also in migrant populations. Premigration experiences of war or conflict, and a shift in the status and roles of men and women in societies may explain the different levels of distress. Also, differences in the experience of social integration have been advocated as a possible explanation. In men, good social integration can create opportunities for paid employment and better income with subsequent positive impact on health. In contrast, social integration in immigrant women has been found to increase psychological stress, because the traditional role of women within their family can be challenged by cultural values that differ from their own. This may provoke negative reactions and conflict about socially acceptable norms and identity.

An example from Sweden shows a large difference in the UMIs’ long-term integration. At the age of 27 years, 65% of male UMIs were working, while the corresponding figure for females was 45%; among the Swedish-born, the corresponding percentages were 82 and 79. A partial explanation is that female UMIs study longer than the male (Celikaksoy & Wadensjö, 2015). been sexually abused, compared to 12% of boys. Boys only score higher on externalising problems, acting out in different ways (Bean, Derluyn, Eurelings-Bontekoe, & Spinhoven, 2007). The few Nordic studies paint a similar picture: girl UMIs have higher rates of mental health problems, identical to those among the majority population (Keles, Friborg, Idsøe, Sirin, & Oppedal, 2016). Oppedal et al. (2009) shows the extent to which girls seem to have higher degrees of such mental health issues as depression. Among UMIs, 52% of boys and 60% of girls suffer from depressive symptoms at a level that require interventions. In a Nordic overview, Borsch et al. (2019) showed that UMIs have much higher rates of depressive symptoms than the native-born but that the gender gap is very much smaller. Among the native-born, the difference in depression between boys and girls is very large (17% vs. 45%) but is much less pronounced among UMI boys (52%) and girls (60%). This is partly perhaps because female UMIs now have greater access to educational and career opportunities that may shift their traditional understanding of the gender roles. This may contribute to their positive development over time (Keles et al., 2018).

Quantitative studies on female unaccompanied minors Very few Nordic quantitative studies specifically examine the mental health situation of female UMIs. This is understandable in the light of their smaller numbers, but the scarcity of studies is still unfortunate. With an increasing share of the UMIs being girls, more research is hopefully forthcoming.

Some international studies, mostly those from the Netherlands show that girl UMIs score much higher on anxiety, depression, PTSD, and hyperarousal than boys. Also, 39% of the girls have

Qualitative studies with female unaccompanied minors Some qualitative interview studies have been conducted with girl UMIs in the Nordic countries. As Ekström (2019) shows, these studies mostly cover questions around the girls’ experiences of being rather invisible as a group – until recently – in both academic research and media. The girls risk being constructed as ‘others’ due to their status as unaccompanied minors, because they are female, and in relation to general perceptions of what it means to be Swedish.

In their participatory action research project,

Kaukko & Wernersjö (2017) found that girl UMIs viewed Finland and Sweden as gender-equal societies compared to their countries of origin and that they wanted to benefit from this. Some girls said that they felt uncomfortable and afraid because of rowdy boys. The girls seemed to become more aware of gender and gender differences than the boys, because they had been placed in boy-dominated living arrangements. In other words, the girls are to some extent forced to relate to the boys and find their positions among them, while the opposite is not always the case. Thus, the girls’ movements in the living units are at times limited, both physically and mentally, which may also affect their sense of security and belonging.

A long-term follow-up study of unaccompanied Somali girls (Bjerneld, Ismail, & Puthoopparambil, 2018) recognised that initial difficulties were language and cultural differences such as food habits and gender norms. In the longer perspective, two factors helped the girls to integrate, while two factors were something of a challenge. The promoting factors were stable family support in the girls’ country of origin (a good childhood) and finding someone supportive to talk to when they arrived in Sweden. These supportive people could be staff at the homes, teachers, and social workers who saw the girls’ potential, showed patience and empathy, and boosted their self-confidence. The two challenging factors were being female and the lack of understanding of their previous lives in Somalia – such as the healthcare professionals’ lack of understanding about maternal care or circumcision in Somalia. The very circumstance of being female entailed adopting new gender roles, with not uncommon clashes between the two cultures.

Another study giving examples of some characteristics of girl UMIs is that by Darvishpour and Månsson (2019), covering such issues as: • A feeling of longing, loneliness, and worry even if they are living with relatives • In the absence of parents, the girls grow up faster and have greater opportunities for independence and a career • Ethnic networks can limit the girls (with boys, networks help to find housing and employment) • UMIs who end up waiting for two years for their asylum decision have serious mental health issues, which have in some cases led to increasing self-harm. Passivity and loneliness lead to deteriorating school results. • Easier for girls to adjust to gender equality • Prejudice against Muslims and girls wearing a veil

”Some girls said that they felt uncomfortable and afraid because of rowdy boys. The girls seemed to become more aware of gender and gender differences than the boys, because they had been placed in boy-dominated living arrangements.”